The Fourth's Family
by kageryuu
Summary: What if the night the Kyuubi attacked the Yondaime was not killed and that he lived to protect Konoha after that night. What if there was a reason it attacke another than rage? Title subject to change. [maybe OOC]
1. Translation

**THE FOURTH'S FAMILY**

**INTRODUCTIO PART 1:**

**TRANSLATION**

_Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. If you owned something, why would you write a fan fiction about it?_

The scroll was old and worn. In places ink was hardly legible; the only thing they could be thankful for was the fact that it was not completely destroyed. It was their task to decode it. The scroll held a secret that had been lost, they were sure of it. First though, they had to translate it. For it was written in the Demonic Tongue.

The Yondaime watched his two remaining students; Kakashi and Rin, as they followed the instructions issued them by the linguistics specialist, silently writing down notes. Occasionally one or the other would get up to go retrieve something from the supply cabinet. Rin was working on restoring the symbols on the paper that were worn with age, tracing their outline carefully before filling it in with ink. Her hands worked well at the task that took the precision of a medical ninja. Kakashi was busy writing down words as the man dictated them, one at a time, or sometimes even a full sentence.

For almost a month this had been their task, all three shinobi, no matter how they tried to deny it, were bored to the point of madness, the only thing that kept them going was the promise of finishing the task today, for they had finally reached the last part of the scroll.

At the beginning, Arashi had been banned from doing anything but supervising, owing to the fact that his hands were not as steady as Rin's and even a chicken had better handwriting than him. So, sitting in a corner, reading the newly published book by his former sensei, Arashi did what the linguist had assigned him to, watch.

The other man's name was Seiko Kane; he was formerly a shinobi who had instead of fighting with the sword as it was, decided to fight with the pen. It was he who had opened and solidified the relations between Konoha and other hidden villages after the Great Shinobi War. He even taught his own group of students poetry and literature; something Arashi felt was beginning to lose its value in this world run by shinobi.

No one spoke, but there was a sudden air of satisfaction in the room as Kakashi handed his writing pad to Kane, who took it, then admired the neat handwriting, legible and beautiful were the words he used to describe it. "At least sensei do not teach their charges handwriting. Girl, you may finish that last word, then we are done for today, tomorrow, we will finish."

The last part was said to Rin who almost smiled at the prospect of leaving the room she had been trapped in for hours. Then, with her work finished, she calmly put away the jar of ink she had been using away along with the pen. All three, Kakashi, Rin, and the Yondaime bowed respectfully to the man, then left calmly through the doorway, and found themselves in an empty corridor.

Once there, the Yondaime heaved a sigh of relief, "You two think it's boring to have to translate, try having to _watch,_" he said with a smile, his good humor returning.

Rin hid a smile behind her hand as she tried not to smile, her eyes studied her sensei, "You wouldn't have to just watch if people could read your writing," she pointed out, once again trying not to laugh.

Silently Kakashi agreed with his teammate about their sensei's writing, though you could not tell by his stoic silence.

The Yondaime looked crestfallen, though both of them knew it was only an act, "So cruel…"Then, brightening up suddenly he said, "If neither of you have plans for dinner…Come over to my house, Akina is cooking tonight."

Rin groaned good naturedly and Kakashi rolled his eyes, every night sensei invited his teammates over for dinner, and every night they went through the same routine. Rin politely declined the offer before saying something about going home to see her family. Then, Kakashi would accept the offer and go with his sensei, grateful that he would not have to return to his dark and lonely house, that had been is inheritance from his father.

As Rin left, the Yondaime placed his hand on Kakashi's head, and the two began to walk toward his house, "So once again, it's just you and me?"

""Uh…yeah…" Kakashi said, trying to wriggle out from his sensei's hold. After all, he was fourteen, and no one needed to see that, he thought to himself as they reached the entrance of the street on which the Yondaime lived.

"The baby is due any day now," Arashi tried once again to engage Kakashi in conversation. The 'baby' was what he talked about every night, his wife was pregnant and at any moment would give birth, no one knew yet if it would be a boy or a girl. Yet, everyone knew that Arashi was secretly hoping for a beautiful little girl that he would be able to pamper.

At this point, they had reached the house where Uzumaki Akina stood just outside the door to greet her husband and Kakashi who she considered her unofficial son. She was always trying to get him to move into one of the spare rooms, always saying the big house felt empty with so much extra room. Akina had brown eyes that were always alight with a smile, and her hair was a dark brown color. She stood just a few inches shorter than her husband, and had a delicate look about her that reminded Kakashi of a flower. However, the silver haired boy knew better, Akina was a jounin after all. Due to her pregnancy, though, she had had to take a break.

Hugging his wife and giving her a peck on the cheek, Arashi then stepped into the house, Letting Akina hug Kakashi and give him a kiss on the forehead. Then, with her arm still around Kakashi's shoulders, she walked into the house, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, the Kyuubi roared, the noise echoing through the forest trees, scaring birds from their nests causing them to fly into the air, squawking in fright. Their wings flapping noisily as they tried in desperation to fly away from the Youma as its nine tails lashed around its massive body, knocking over trees as well as knocking large rocks from hillsides.

The scroll was to the west, the Kyuubi could sense it, the scroll of the Tamer, and it was in human possession. This was bad, very bad, if the humans discovered the Tamer, all would be lost. Crimson eyes scanned the forest, there was no time to warn the others now, and he could feel the scroll awakening.

With one last roar, the Kyuubi took off, headed toward the village of humans, the Hidden village Konoha.

The dinner was delicious as Kakashi sat back and relaxed slightly, engaged in a conversation with the Yondaime, they were arguing over the different methods of chakra usage, and so far, the Yondaime was winning by a land slide, he had proved his point already, but, having been caught up in the passion of his own words, gotten carried away by the sheer enthusiasm of discussing his point.

Suddenly, Akina dropped the pan she had been holding, crying out in pain and holding a hand to her stomach. This caused both Arashi and Kakashi to rush to her aid, carefully lying her down on the floor. "Kakashi, go get Rin, I will call the hospital," Arashi grabbed the phone off the hook as Kakashi rushed out the door and made a bee line to Rin's house.

The Kyuubi flew over the land he called his "territory", the trees and other scenery flashed by, too fast to see, blurred by the speed of the Youma. Red chakra surged from the Kyuubi's body, making it faster as it ran. Even for a Youma, a distance this great took time to cover. The only thing that guided it was the scent of something that it had not seen in over a millennium.

The village was getting closer, the Kyuubi slowed to a walk, there was time, and something did not seem right to him. Something felt…strange, as if…. As if… the Kyuubi struggled to find words to describe this feeling that seemed to haunt him. All he knew was that something was happening.

* * *

Seiko Kane was pleased with the progress they had made today on the scroll, he was secretly glad he had been persuaded to hire a team of shinobi to help rather than have his own clumsy students come and possibly mess everything up. So it was with a joyful spirit that the former shinobi copied the Hatake boy's notes down into a leather bound book for future reference.

Once he had finished that task, he went about the business of putting away the scroll, carefully so as not to disturb it, there was only one last section to decode and at this point only some sort of miracle was holding the scroll together. Quietly humming to himself, Kane placed a jutsu around the room as he closed and locked the door, leaving to go meet one of his old friends for dinner.

If Kane had only stayed a second longer he would have seen the writing on the scroll begin to glow, a light blue, the color of chakra. He would have been able to warn others of the coming disaster.

* * *

The Kyuubi stopped just outside the village gate, sniffing the air, something powerful was awakening, and he could feel it in his body. The chakra of whatever it was immense, why did not any of the stupid humans sense it. He watched silently as the stood in stoic silence, watching for enemies from the outside. **_Fools, the enemy is inside._**

The Kyuubi kept his presence hidden from the humans, which considering his great power was extremely great was very difficult. He could tell they could vaguely sense him by the way they would occasionally glance over in his direction. He had warned them, but they had not listened; now _**it** _would kill them all.

Using a henge, the Kyuubi changed his appearance to that of a man and made his way to the village gate.

* * *

Both Kakashi and Arashi waited impatiently in the waiting room for any news of Akina and the baby. Four hours ago her water broke, since then, they had manage to get her to the hospital and were then place to wait in the waiting room where Arashi paced around tirelessly, sitting down only if told to do so by a medic passing by, and even then only for a moment.

They had both been led out of the room due to the Yondaime's impatient pacing there as well, the doctor had said he was, "disturbing the patient," and thus is where they were now.

Several people had shown having heard the news that the child was about to be born, several even stayed and waited in anticipation while others stayed for only a moment before rushing off to attend to some order of business or another. One person, however stayed, one person that Kakashi sincerely wished at that moment would just curl up and die. That one person was none other than Maito Gai, Kakashi's self entitled "eternal rival".

For what seemed the millionth time that day or even in just the pass four hours, Kakashi sighed, then explained to Gai that he did not want to challenge the other boy to another one of his ridiculous challenges. The other protested profusely until Kakashi agreed to play Janken with him.

Rin came out of the hospital ward and without saying a word or even glancing in their direction before she took off down the hallway presumably to find another medic. This whole thing tied Kakashi's stomach in knots, they had had no word on Akina's condition and none of the doctors had even stopped to tell the everything was fine.

Eventually Gai left and Kakashi was left with his sensei. Time passed, Kakashi was not sure how much though, he had stopped bothering looking at the clock. He figured there must be something wrong with it; it seemed to stand still as if everything had come to a stand still.

It was dark outside, the moon was full, he noticed glancing out the window. He could just barely make out the constellation that was known simply as the Kunai, very unoriginal, but it was useful all the same, as the star in the tip of the blade was always directly in the north.

Finally what seemed like an eternity a doctor came out wearing a grim expression, his eyes were serious, his hands were washed and clean. His clothes were stained with blood, and he appeared close to exhaustion. "I'm sorry…" he said, not quite meeting Arashi's eyes.

Arashi felt his voice catch in his throat and it felt as if someone were squeezing his chest. He resisted the sudden urge to cry as the doctor continued, "Akina, died…" here his voice trailed off into silence as both the Yondaime stared backin surprise . There was no way…she could not, not after...The Yondaime pushed passed the man and into the room, determined to prove that she was still alive.

Kakashi waited for his sensei who had run away into the room hoping to prove that his wife was alive. Then a thought hit him, "What of the child?" he asked the doctor who turned a sad expression to the boy.

"There were two, one boy and one girl, the boy is alive and kicking, and we are not quite sure what will become of the girl," the doctor's eyes were level, he knew from years of experience that you could not show weakness when working in a situation like this.

"Twins?" Kakashi asked quizzically, cocking his head to one side, no one would have guessed, Akina had had a big stomach, but twins. Kakashi's eyes darkened as he thought of the two children. "What happened?" was the next thing out of his mouth.

"The girl was born with a collapsed lung, and after she came, the bleeding would not stop, we tried everything, but nothing worked," the doctor's voice was again level, almost to the point of uncaring, as if this were no big deal and it was a matter of little concern.

His hands tightened into fists, Kakashi stood there as he fumed. Although he liked to believe that he had it all under control and was ready for anything that came his way, like a true shinobi would be, he was only fourteen, and human, and like all humans he too was prone to fits of anger. "Don't you care? Do you even care that a person has died and that a child, newly born is resting in the edge of life and death? Do you care that there are possibly two children who will grow up without knowing the love of a mother? Well, tell me you cold hearted BASTARD!" with that, Kakashi's fist collided with the man's jaw, sending him flying across the room.

"KAKASHI!" Rin stood down the hallway holding a wrapped up bundle in her arms that had begun to cry out in the sudden tension in the room, the sound broke Kakashi's heart and for the first time since his father had committed suicide, Kakashi felt close to crying, felt close to sitting in a corner to sob until the sounds of his own crying lulled him to sleep. But he knew he couldn't, he had to keep standing, keep running forward, and not letting anything getting in his way, just like a sword that cuts down its enemies.

"Is that one of them?" he asked Rin who stood there, trying to comfort the crying bundle; her eyes were brimming with tears that fell on the child's face.

"Yes, sensei just named him, his name is Uzumaki Naruto, the other was given a name, Uzumaki Haruka, but no one is sure is she will even live the night," holding the bundle, Rin hummed a lullaby that quieted the child, closing his eyes, Kakashi listened to the song, he let his anger fade. Rin had often sung that song to injured patients she had had to put out of their misery on the battle field, she had also hummed it when performing the surgery to transfer Obito's eye to him.

For a moment, the world fell away, for a moment, both teenagers were lost in memory, for only a moment, though, and then it was gone.

A loud crash brought them back into this world from their dreams, the whole building shook with some form of unearthly force. "Kakashi, Rin!" the Yondaime stood just inside the doorway, all signs of his grief were gone from his face as he masked them, the only thing you could tell what had just happened was the haunted look in his eyes.

Another shinobi jumped in from the window, one Kakashi knew by the name of Umino Naomi. "Hokage-sama," she said respectfully, "the Kyuubi has attacked the village."

* * *

The Kyuubi was silent as he killed the two shinobi standing guard; he was silent as he slipped into the village unseen, no one saw, no one knew he was here. Humans were so naïve, they really believed they could keep out a power as great as his. These smug thoughts, he kept to himself as he made his way through the streets, following the same feeling that had led him here in the first place.

A woman saw him and would have cried out if he had not silenced her. There was no real feeling in him as he killed her, just the thought that he was completing his task, that he would save his own race. But, he had to get there before _it _found its host, before the soul sealed inside the scroll was released.

* * *

Kane had returned to the small room that he had earlier been decoding the scroll in, he did not know what it was, but something had called him back to this room, he felt as if the scroll itself were calling him, like a prisoner cries out for release. And he had followed the call, only to find something had happened.

The writing on the scroll was glowing; the color of chakra, and Kane felt the other presence in the room, although he could not see it. "Who's there?" he asked the empty room, sincerely hoping there would not be an answer.

He was disappointed when a voice answered him, **_I am here, who are you?_** The voice was innocent like a child yet it held a note of irony as if it deemed Kane to be lower than itself.

"Seiko Kane," he said, voice still steady, trying to stop his hand from shaking, this was all just a dream, he told himself. Dreamt up by me. Or so he thought, until he felt the touch on his shoulder, colder than ice, colder than anything he had felt before.

**_Seiko Kane, _**the voice said with the same not of irony, **_the Kyuubi comes for me…Take me from here, hide me where no one will find me. Inside a child..._**The voice was still innocent, as if the notion of sacrificing a child to save itself was a game like tag.

"Who are you? Tell me! NOW!" Kane's voice rose, anger burning in every word, who dared break into his office? Taking a defensive stance, the man waited for the intruder to reveal themselves, no one did.

**_Stupid human…_** a person sat on the table that Kakashi and Rin had been working earlier. Blonde hair and blue eyes, like an angel, although this, Kane knew, was a demon or something even worse. **_Why don't you ever listen to your superiors? _**The figure reached out its hand to rest it on Kane's head as the man backed up against the wall. **_Now, find me a vessel._**

Without another word, Kane rolled up the scroll, carefully so as not to destroy the writing. Then, carefully, he bounded away down the street, using the shadows as cover, he had to find an infant to become the being's vessel.

**Author's Note: **Okay, I made my deadline, barely. For those of you who have already read this, I hope you noticed the very slight changes in this chapter. For those of you reading this for the first time, I hope you liked it. I'm keeping the same pairing tally posted from the last time this was up. I will take any suggestions for pairings except yaoi or yuri. And a hint to anyone….(I love non canon pairings). Tally stands at; once I find the paper, I'll tell you. Until then, review please and stay safe.


	2. Datenshi

**INTRODUCTION PART 2**

**DATENSHI**

_Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, am not making any money off of this. Thank you._

_Song--_**白夜～****TrueLight****～****(TV Version)**

_By:__宮本駿一_

**Guide: **

_Thoughts _used for every character for their inner thoughts

**Demons speaking **Like when the Kyuubi attacks

**_Demon thoughts_** scroll speaking

_**Song lines **_

(Translation)

The Yondaime stared blankly at the woman before the news finally sunk in, when it did, his face darkened as he thought out what to do next. The baby began to cry once again, but this time it was Arashi who comforted it, his face softening as he looked down at the child that shared his blue eyes and blonde hair. There was another, a girl, like he had wanted, she would die before the night was over.

"Rin, bring Haruka here," he said softly, going to the open window ahe stood there, quiet, contemplating, "Kakashi, Naomi, when Rin has retrieved Haruka, meet me at the battlefield, bring Haruka with you," with that he jumped out the window and took off along the roofs of houses to join the fight where many shinobi had gathered to fend off the threat of the Kyuubi.

The other child tossed fitfully in Rin's arms as the girl held the infant. Every breath it took was ragged and it would cough every few minutes. It broke her heart to see the child that had just begun its life about to die. Choking back a sob, Rin went to take the child to the Yondaime who had already gone to join the fight against the Kyuubi. Meeting with Kakashi, Rin nodded silently, signaling that she was ready.

Without another word, Rin, Kakashi, and Naomi took off into the night, letting the wind whistle in their hair as they sped over roof tops. The Kyuubi had been driven to just outside the village gates, they could tell how far it had penetrated into the village by the trail of destruction it left as it had been driven back. Without a word, they went to where their sensei awaited them, flanked on both sides by shinobi.

Solemnly Arashi took his child from Kakashi and Rin; his haunted eyes watched both Haruka and Naruto, held secure in his arms, as they cried out when they felt the tension and the danger that permeated the air, almost tangible. His eyes darkened even more when he heard Haruka's pitiful cough as she struggled to hang on to one last minute of life.

"HOKAGE-SAMA!" a voice cried out, drawing Arashi's attention from Haruka to rest on the newcomer. The man held a scroll that reminded Arashi of just a few hours ago, when the world had been perfect. The man caught up to him, his breath even and unhurried; after all he had been a shinobi. The scroll in the man's hand was glowing, as if it contained the chakra of a living creature.

"Kane, what is it?" Arashi asked the man as Kakashi took the scroll.

It was not Kane who answered, but rather a disembodied voice that sounded like that of a child, a voice that held a note of irony, Arashi could tell the voice considered him to be lower than itself.

**_Hokage-sama, _**the voice said, addressing the person before it, **_a pleasure. _**It said, more like a voice in his head than a real person actually speaking.

"Who are you?" Arashi demanded, cold voiced and steely eyed, holding his children closer to him.

**_Datenshi, I ask your cooperation. _**By the tone of voice, it was more of an order than a request.

"Cooperation with what?" Arashi demanded.

_**In providing me with a vessel,**_

"Vessel…?"

_**Your daughter, the one who will soon die.**_

"No." the Kyuubi roared in the silence that followed, reassuring Arashi of his decision. Datenshi, or not, the whatever it was that had been talking to him was not a welcome surprise. There was no time for this with the Kyuubi pressing back into the village.

_**Silence, kitsune!**_

The Kyuubi had been close enough to feel the presence, they had been so near to him. He remembered the man carrying the scroll that they had been sealed in, the man who had materialized from the shadow in the building. The man had introduced himself as Seiko Kane, he had been carrying the scroll of the tamer, and he had been looking for a man known as Arashi. He had also been possessed by the scroll.

The Kyuubi had let the henge drop; it was then that he let the humans see his true form. It was then that he had roared until the ground shook it was then that Datenshi appeared to him.

His eyes were pupiless, the color blue, his hair was the color of woven sunshine, and white wings that glowed brighter than the sun poked out from his back. A white robe was wrapped loosely around his body. The Kyuubi had snarled at the tamer, eyes had narrowed. None of the humans could see this monstrosity that stood before him, sealed in the scroll held by the human. Even if they had, they would have thought him an angel, not a monster.

The man had run then, taking the scroll of the tamer with him. As much as the Kyuubi had wanted to follow him, he could not, due to the sudden appearance of shinobi, you have to give them one thing, they were quick, he thought bitterly as one after another, shinobi died at his hands or rather claws. It was not like he wanted to kill them, but in this instance, the survival of his very race centered on him killing the tamer.

That was when the man had shown up, the one known as the Yondaime though the Kyuubi could not speak to the man; humans and demons had lost the ability to communicate with each other millennia ago. Then, two things happened at once, the man summoned a toad, and the being awoke fully. He heard its voice, cold, with that ever present note of irony in it, **_Kyuubi, silence!_**

With that, the Kyuubi had quieted, compelled, like the rest of his race, to follow the commands of Datenshi.

The chakra from the scroll became stronger, forming a body for the being that was trapped within the writing. Its presence grew stronger with every passing moment, even Naruto and Haruka noticed it, their wails were loud and high pitched, terrified. Haruka coughed more now though, and blood covered her lips, she would die at any second, Arashi was sure of it as he stood on top of Gamabunta, facing the Kyuubi.

Kakashi, Rin, and Kane perched with him on the head of the giant toad, the scroll between the three of them as they tried to contain the presence that lived within the scroll as it tried to break free, trying to claim one of the infants' bodies as its hosts. **_I can kill the demon, tame his restless spirit,_** the voice pleaded with them, never letting go of that note of irony. Its chakra pushed at the sides of the barrier they had created for it, threatening to break free at any moment.

Arashi, meanwhile was preparing himself, the only way he could save the village was to sacrifice himself using the Shinigami, his eyes darkened at the thought. The Kyuubi would have to be sealed in one of his children, Naruto. Haruka was too weak and the Kyuubi would just be released the second it entered her.

The two children were in the arms of Naomi who held them close to her chest, most likely thinking about her own son, Iruka, whom she thought she would never see again. Tears stained the woman's cheeks, but Arashi did not have the will to reprimand her, instead, he took Naruto from her, saying, "Cry for all of us lost souls who will loose our lives tonight."

As he took Naruto from Naomi, Arashi swallowed the lump in his throat, not now, there would be time later, he told himself the lie over and over, hoping that by repetition, he could force himself to believe it.

"Sensei?" Rin asked questioningly, she knew the plan, everyone did, and everyone had their assigned tasks to do, many would die for this cause. "Are you ready?" she asked, caringly, so like Rin, always worried about others, never fearing for her own life, even in face of an enemy like the Kyuubi.

"Just a moment, "Arashi said, taking one final, calming breath, "I'm afraid, "he said, voicing his fear out loud. It felt good, as if he were lifting a great weight from himself as he began the process of summoning the shinigami, this was going to be his final act.

Rin's eyes were understanding as she watched him. "We are all scared," she said simply as if he had said something that was completely unsurprising.

"Rin, Kakashi, make sure he becomes a hero, "Arashi said, this was his last wish as he completed the jutsu, the shinigami appeared behind him, attaching him to itself.

The Kyuubi watched the humans curiously, what were they planning? It was not them he wanted to fight, it was Datenshi, and the scroll was the enemy here, why could the humans not see it? Head bowed, the Kyuubi made one more charge at the humans that stood on the opposite side of the battlefield, trying one last time to reach the tamer.

Rin gasped as she saw the thing standing behind her sensei, he was going to give himself to that? She could only stand and look in horror as the thing drew her sensei into itself. She wondered why none of the others were staring in wonder, then she realized that she was the only one who could see it.

_**Kanashii hodo hikari dashita **_

(The white darkness started shining intensely)

It was only at the very last second that the other shinobi, placed around the area activated their trap. Bonds, made of chakra chained the Kyuubi down as Arashi began to collect the demon's essence into the form of Rasengan into his palm. Naruto, once again began to cry fitfully as if he knew what it was for, as if he knew what the jutsu was going to do to him.

_**Shiroi yama kiri saku tsubasa ni nare **_

(Become the wings that cut through the white darkness)

The Kyuubi realized the humans' plans as soon as the bonds of chakra; he knew what they were going to do to him. Crimson eyes flashed to the small, wailing infant that was to become his host. Aloud, ground shaking roar was let loose from his mouth as he struggled against the jutsu, as he tried to keep his essence together. He knew it was hopeless, however when he saw the shinigami, waiting. Trying one last time to struggle form his bonds, the Kyuubi just could not get free, so with one last roar, he conceded to his fate, watching the smug face of the being all the while as he was placed into the infant's body.

_**Tsumetai taiyou ni terasareteta **_

(Illuminated by the cold sun)

Naruto screamed as the Kyuubi entered his body, fusing itself to his chakra system, the demon had stopped struggling, Rin noticed. Arashi was being absorbed by the shinigami, sinking farther in the closer as the jutsu came closer to completion. Three lines appeared on Naruto's face as the Kyuubi's seal was finished, they reminded Rin of whiskers.

A tear escaped Rin's eye as she watched. Something in her decided that this was not right, something told her that Arashi should not give his life so easily. Something in her decided that even though she could do nothing about Akina, she would make sure that the infant boy at least had a father.

_**Kai narasareta jiyuu ga atta **_

(I was given a tamed freedom)

Not knowing when her feet moved, not knowing when she broke the barrier, not hearing Kakashi as he called out to her, Rin charged, pulling her sensei away from the monstrosity, willing it to take her life instead of his. Her eyes closed as she was drawn into the hellish being, the last thing she said was "Forgive me," she said, but before anyone could say anything, she was gone, swallowed up into the shinigami in place of her sensei.

_**Kagami ni utsutta kiseki no yoru **_

(In the miraculous night reflected in the mirror)

The Kyuubi watched these happenings through the eyes of the infant. He watched the girl, hearing her words as she was lost. Then, it started. With the barrier trapping it released, Datenshi woke.

Datenshi smirked, his chakra flowing over the man named named Kane, possessing the scholar. Haruka was being clutched tightly by Naomi who had refuses to let go of the child. "**_Give me the child," _**the voice commanded, the voice so unlike Kane's, trying to pry Naomi's hands from the child.

Kakashi and Arashi could do nothing but watch helplessly as the being tried to take Haruka, even Naruto seemed to quiet. None of them could move; they had no strength left to do so.

_**Masuko o hazushi hajimete my soul **_

(My soul began to remove its mask)

Kane was quick, he grabbed the child from Naomi, kicking the woman from the great height. Her body fell all the way to the ground, landing with a sickening crunch. Then it was Kane's turn, having rolled up the scroll, he lept from Gamabunta to a nearby tree and was soon, he was lost in the dark.

_**Shiroki somaru yami itsuki nukete **_

(Break through the darkness that is painted white)

-----

No one had the strength to follow, no one had the power, Arashi clenched his fist, how could it. His wife, his daughter…..Cradling Naruto in his arms, the Yondaime let the darkness take him.

Possessed, Kane took Haruka to the out skirts of a small fishing village. Datenshi used his hand to cover the child with seals necessary for him to reside within the body of the newborn. Soon it was finished, taking what remained of Kane's chakra, he slipped easily from the man's body into the infant's.

Without a sound, Datenshi settled into a hibernation, until the time was right, that was when he would make a grand entrance.

-----

Then and there, Kane fell, lifeless to the ground, his body cold and gray, the tiny Haruka crying in the cold, October air.

Arashi sat in his room, Naruto was soundly sleeping, curled up on the floor, dreaming of what, Arashi did not know. Then, a knock came at the door, Kakashi stood there, garbed in a chunin vest as well as dark clothes underneath. "Sensei, preparations have been completed," he said, always dutiful, if never on time these days.

Arashi sighed, the memorial ceremony was today, they would be having on large funeral for all those who died in the Kyuubi attack. Looking at his student, Arashi went over and picked up Naruto in his arms.

"What happened that night?" Kakashi asked his sensei.

"I don't know," was the solemn answer as the two headed to the ceremony.

**Author's Note:** For lack of a better word, the thing that was sealed in the scroll will be called tamer. If someone happens to know the term "master" in Japanese (a dog and it's master) please tell me. I wish to thank each and every person who reviewed and everything! I am going to hold a poll for pairings. This means if you want any pairings, please tell me. No yaoi (boy x boy) or yuri (girl x girl), thank you. If you don't want there to be any pairings, you can also vote for that. So far that's all.


	3. Moving On

**THE FOURTH'S FAMILY**

**FRIENDS**

_Don't own Naruto and am not making any money off of this._

**Note: I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE! I am so sorry it took so long to update this story. It was just one thing after another. Computer broke, internet down, writer's block, memory got wiped, grounded…Oi. **

**Thank you so much everyone for the reviews .**

**Swansong for a Raven, Mermaid Ninja, teen13, burnstar, Demon of Konoha, lannette, AngelHinata, PsychoB. A special thanks to isthisparadise for their review of both chapters.**

**Now, the chapter. Enjoy!**

**------------**

_Time moves on, but the past is never forgotten. _

_There are those who still get left behind by time._

_------------_

Time moves on, as it always does. The village Konoha had finally finished rebuilding the sections of the village that had been destroyed by the Kyuubi. Lives returned to normal as families slowly begin to accept what had happened. Loved ones were buried, others were healing. Still, the memory was fresh in the minds of those old enough to remember.

A law had been passed not to tell those of the younger generation what exactly has happened to the Kyuubi. Even Naruto was not told, he was too young to understand. Arashi made every effort to ensure that his bubbly, blonde haired boy was viewed as a hero. Even still, he knew the cold glares Naruto received when he turned his back. It was just too much for the villagers to take. There were a few, though who saw Naruto as a person, not a demon.

Taking a deep sigh, Arashi roused himself from his idle daydream. There was just too much to do. Naruto was nowhere to be found, he had sent Kakashi with him to the park, hoping and praying the four year old would not drive his student up the wall. He was very skilled at doing things like that. Glancing at the clock, it read four thirty, only a half hour until he could go pick up Naruto.

Picking up the next item on the desk, Arashi noticed the red and white fan printed on the envelope, the symbol of the Uchiha clan. Rolling his eyes, the Yondaime once again registered the obsession each person from the Uchiha clan had with that symbol. Even the seal had the same fan imprinted in the wax. Talk about clan pride. Even the Hyuuga didn't show off this much.

The letter was filled with all sorts of fancy words and flowery speech. Deciphering it, Arashi figured out that he was to have had a fancy dinner at the Uchiha estate two weeks ago. Rolling his eyes, Arashi groaned, why? Of all things. As full of themselves as the Uchiha were, the clan was a powerful asset to Konoha. Now he had missed a meeting with them as well as a free dinner.

Looking back at all the papers stacked on his desk, the Fourth wondered how far behind he really was. Quickly rifling through all the papers, he pulled out anything with a clan crest on it. He almost cried when he saw how many things he had actually missed. Then again, he was still finishing up the paperwork he had been doing to send the architects from the other countries their payment.

The final result was that he had missed dinner not only with the Uchiha, but also the Hyuuga clan, the newly formed Inuzuka and Aburame clans, and there was an invite to meet the Kazekage of Suna in a month. Not to mention the countless invites to attend a class or two at the academy to teach up and coming shinobi the way of the ninja.

Silently Arashi cursed under his breath. This would cause havoc. He really envied Naruto who was too young to understand the hardships and stress of life. Making a mental note to hire a personal assistant, Arashi got up from his chair. Five 'o' clock exactly, time to go pick up the kid. Work can wait.

Feet flying over the ground, Arashi made it out of the stuffy building within seconds, making his way through the crowded streets to the park where he thought Kakashi and his son would be.

The park was a beautiful place, meant for people of all ages and status. There was everything from children's play ground equipment to equipment for advanced taijutsu training. Trees grew everywhere in the park, so if you were looking for someone, it would be just too easy for them to hide behind a bend in the dirt path. Many children ended up lost their first few times there.

Kakashi was found sitting on a bench reading an orange covered book, barely glancing up as Arashi suddenly appeared. For a split second, the hokage regretted his decision to appoint Kakashi as a baby sitter. Before he could say anything about it, Kakashi spoke. "He's over there," Kakashi's head nodded in one direction, eyes never looking up once, glued to the book. "I'm not _that_ irresponsible."

Snorting, Arashi went in the direction Kakashi had indicated, "Coulda fooled me…" he muttered under his breath.

Just as he finished his muttering, he heard two children giggling and laughing up ahead, one was surely Naruto, but the other child's voice was one the Yondaime had never heard before. Rounding the bend in the pathway, he saw a young girl, chasing Naruto through the equipment, carefully watched by a young man around fourteen years old.

"Hokage-sama-"the boy looked up at Arashi, deep green eyes sharp as he studied the older man. His golden brown hair hung past his shoulders in front and was short and messy in the back. "What brings you here?"

Taken aback slightly by the cold edge in the boy's voice Arashi's eyes narrowed, "I'm just here to pick up my son," he pointed to Naruto who was now chasing the young girl.

"…Sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect, it's just my sister and I-" the sentence hung unfinished in the air, the boy's eyes turned back to the pair running around.

"Excuse my rudeness, but who are you?" Having never seen the boy before, Arashi was curious, not to mention how the boy didn't seem affected at all by Naruto. His younger sister-that's who he assumed the young girl was-was even playing with Naruto.

It took a moment for the boy to answer, "Wasurenai Shigeru, that's my sister, Tenten." He seemed to carefully think out what he was saying, talking slowly and deliberately. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach, Arashi knew the boy wasn't telling the truth, but decided not to call the boy on that point.

Instead, he studied the girl. She wore a blue Chinese styled shirt with shorts. Her clothes were slightly dirty, as if they hadn't been washed for a while. Her hair was pulled up into two twin buns on top of her head, keeping it out of her eyes. Laughing as Naruto tried to catch her and missed by inches, she danced out of his way only to trip and be sent sprawling into the dirt.

Shigeru was by her side instantly, examining her scraped knee, gathering her into his arms, muttering about being careless. "I don't need to be carried, I can walk, Shigeru!" shouting at the older boy, Tenten squirmed out of his arms. "Sorry, Naruto-kun, he's just over protective."

"It's nice to have someone to do that for you though," Naruto piped up happily, finally taking a moment to notice his father. "Daddy, meet my friend, Tenten, and that's her brother!" He pointed to Shigeru, seeming to have forgotten the boy's name.

"Your daddy's the hokage?" Tenten gasped, awestruck by the Yondaime, watching with wide eyed wonder as Arashi effortlessly swung Naruto up onto his shoulders.

"Yep." Naruto grinned widely, grabbing fistfuls of Arashi's hair to stay balanced.

The Yondaime knelt, coming face to face with the little girl who still seemed slightly awestruck by him "Tenten-chan, we have to go now, okay? But if you want, you and your brother can have dinner with up if you want to," Glancing up at Shigeru who was wary, but trying not to show it, Arashi gave a lop sided grin. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

Looking up with wide, brown eyes that even the most hard hearted person would have trouble turning down, Tenten asked, "Brother, please?"

Steel eyes melted as Shigeru sighed in defeat, "When you do that, I can't say 'no'." To Arashi he said, "Are you sure we're not imposing on you, though?"

With a bright smile, Arashi told him, "Not one bit, we just went grocery shopping yesterday, after all, I'm sure we have enough food."

With a slightly embarrassed grin, Shigeru said, "That's not what I was asking…"

Grabbing Kakashi on their way put of the park, Arashi lead the way to his house, Naruto still on his shoulders and now Tenten having been forced to be carried in his arms, against all protests. The silver haired Kakashi studied the younger boy carefully; Shigeru doing the same, both evaluating the other. "Looks like I picked up a couple of stays," Arashi muttered to himself.

----------------

Isonade, a small fishing village at the very edge of fire country. Built at the edge of the lake Yokohama, a lake so huge it's like a small ocean, with four islands spread out along it's surface. The village is home to only a small number of people, one of those places where everyone knows everyone. Named after one of the cursed bijuu, the small village attracts few travelers.

Small houses lined the small roads branching off the main street. Warehouses and such lined the dock where several fishing boats were moored. In the fading sunlight, one small fishing boat with only a man and a small child as passengers made it's way to shore where a woman wearing an apron waited, hands on her hips.

The woman was in her mid twenties with her long, reddish hair pulled back into a tight bun, her green eyes watched the two sailors as they came closer.

When the fishing boat had pulled close enough for the passengers to hear, she shouted, "Do you know what time it is? Dinner has been ready for almost an hour. I told you to be home at seven, but here you are. An hour late for dinner, I should make you go without eating."

"I love you too, honey, " the man replied with a mischievous grin, helping his young girl out of the boat and onto the dock. He had white blonde hair that was cropped close to his head, his eyes were brown with a hint of mischief in them.

"Mommy wouldn't not feed me, right, I can't steer boats-" the girl tugged at her mother's apron. Her brown hair was in a messy ponytail, falling in her pleading blue eyes. "Please"

Glancing down at her tiny daughter, the woman smile warmly, "No, Haruka, love, you always get dinner, daddy might not though. C'mon let's hurry inside before the food gets any colder. Daddy can take care of the boat by himself."

With that the woman took off toward her house, the small girl trailing behind her, keeping close and holding on to the apron. The small house wasn't too far away, and soon they were bathed in the warmth of a glowing fire.

By the time the man came home as well, the food was laid out and prepared to be eaten. The threat of cold food was just that, a threat, the stew was still piping hot, and they had to blow on it before eating, else it would have burned.

Finished before her parents, Haruka excused herself from the table to prepare for bed, pausing at the small shrine of the water god to say a silent prayer, she climbed upstairs to the bath.

Meanwhile, downstairs, her parents talked. "Mitsuki," the man began, addressing his wife, "is it wise to let that child think we are really her father and mother?" he asked the question quietly, with reluctance.

For a moment his wife said nothing, only stared into her bowl of stew, "For now it's the best, when she is old enough to really understand, we will tell her, but-" tears crept unbidden from her eyes, "Kosuke, she is our gift, we found her that night, she belongs to us!"

"The only reason we even know her name is because of the hospital tag. It would be wrong not to return her to her family," still the quiet voice, determined. "She's Uzumaki Haruka, you know that. She belongs back at her home."

His wife was full out crying now, tears running down her face, falling into her soup bowl. "No, Kosuke, she's from that village, the one attacked four years ago. No way will we let her go to that hell."

Silence followed those words, broken only by the sobs of Mitsuki. Kosuke silently ate his stew, finishing the bowl before putting all the dinner dishes in the sink. "Six more years," he said, not looking at her, "when she turns ten, we'll tell her, then she can decided for herself what to do."

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Mitsuki wiped her eyes on the corner of the apron, trying not to give herself away as a brown haired bundle flew into the kitchen. "Good Night. Good Night!" Haruka wrapped her arms around her mom, the flew out to hug her dad. Then, settling by the door, she waited patiently for her father to finish the dishes.

"Daddy, tonight will you tell me a story, please," using that voice that was one step between whining and being cute, she waited patiently for her answer.

Not too long in coming. Her father swung her around, carrying her to her bedroom. The walls there were covered with all sorts of pictures. Some were cut out of news papers or magazines, others were pictures of people they knew, and some were hand drawn. The small bed in one corner of the room was still untidy from the night before, sheets and blankets falling to the floor.

"Shhhh" Haruka hissed between her teeth, "don't tell mommy, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't," pretending to zipper his mouth shut, Kosuke tossed the girl onto the mass of pillows and blankets. Letting her get settled into the blankets he asked, "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

Haruka's eyes sparkled, dancing with excitement, "Tell me the one about Isonade, the demon shark." Her mother did not approve of that story, but she didn't care. She loved the story of the demon shark.

Kosuke sighed, he should have known what it would be. Talking with his "story telling" voice, he began, "Once, a long time ago, there were nine tailed beasts called bijuu. Each one had a number of tails anywhere from one to nine. One of these demons, named Isonade, was a three tailed demon shark…"

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Back in Konoha, at the house of the Yondaime Hokage, five people had just finished dinner. Arashi who had volunteered for kitchen duty was currently throwing dishes in the sink, and cleaning them off. Meanwhile, Shigeru and Kakashi were deep in conversation, while Naruto and Tenten hovered over a board game.

"Shigeru-kun," Arashi started, unceremoniously tossing a glass in the sink, "Don't you and Tenten-chan have to go home? Won't your parents worry?" It was getting late, almost nine, a teenager and a kid shouldn't walk home that late.

The boy looked over his shoulder at the Yondaime, interrupting the conversation he was having with Kakashi. "They won't worry, but our brother might."

"You have a brother?" Kakashi asked, raising a silver eyebrow.

"You know he's not really our brother," Tenten piped up from where she sat playing a child's board game with Naruto.

Shigeru made a shushing motion with his hand, as if what Tenten had just said was supposed to be a secret. Arashi catching the frantic motion with his eyes, asked, "Tenten, what about your parents then? Did they adopt your brother?"

Ignoring the cutting motion Shigeru was making with his hand, Tenten answered with all the innocence of her five years, "No, my parents died when the Kyuubi attacked, so did Shigeru's and our brother's, his name is Iruka."

Silence followed that statement, until Naruto said, "Do you guys live in a box, like homeless people then? That's what someone told me once," Kakashi and Arashi exchanged a look that said, "of all things". Tenten looked up toward Shigeru.

"You weren't supposed to tell them, Tenten, remember?" Shigeru's voice was ice, his eyes as hard as steel. Tenten shuddered under the sudden mood change.

"It's no big deal anyway." Kakashi said after a few minutes of silence. His eyes were glued to the younger boy. "They're all over, a lot of kids lost their parents. Taking in a few others like them, small groups of children form what some call a 'family'."

Arashi looked thoughtful for a moment, "So where do you guys live. Neither of you look older enough to pass as eighteen." It was law in Konoha that those not eighteen years of age were to be placed in the care of an older individual. "How old is your so called 'brother'?"

"He's seventeen, but he's already got a job to help pay for everything, and I'm supposed to take the Jounin exam soon, and Tenten just became old enough to start at the academy," Shigeru seemed defensive, for some reason, "We don't have to pay tuition because Iruka works the as an assistant."

It suddenly fell into place, Arashi remembered seeing the letter in the pile on his desk earlier that same day, a new student teacher by the name of Umino Iruka, slightly on the young side, but he works well with children. He also lives with two other orphans in an apartment near the village wall.

Thinking of work brought another subject to Arashi's mind, "Shigeru-kun?" he caught the attention of the steely eyed boy. "You said something about the Jounin exams?"

The boy nodded, his brown hair falling into his eyes, "Yeah, so I can get harder missions. We have been really short on money."

Arashi looked thoughtful for a moment, "If you want, I need an assistant at my office, someone to help me keep track of things." Finally done with the dishes, he flopped down on the green patterned couch across from Shigeru and Kakashi.

Kakashi who had, once again, been absorbed in the small orange book, snorted, "Believe me, that worth a lot of money with how disorganized he is." The older boy turned the page, laughing at something written in his book, a high pitch, almost giggle that made the other two stare at him for a split second.  
Taking one last minute to think about it, Shigeru nodded, "I'll try it, no promise, no guarantee. I'll only do it 'til you find someone else, got it? I am a ninja…"

Arashi smirked, "As an incentive, how about I help you train for the exam?"

"Is that legal?" Shigeru asked, eyes wide with curiosity, showing off a child like side of himself.

Kakashi glanced up from his damnable book, "Yeah, he did the same thing with me."

"One last thing, what does it pay?" the question earned a laugh from both Kakashi and Arashi.

**--------------**

**To be continued…**

_Hello, it's me again, I will update sooner next time, sorry, but this chapter was sort of filler…-laughs- things will get better, promise. I will make the excuse that I am going through a form of writer's block…I want to hold a poll about pairings. If you want a pairing in this story like KakaKure, NaruHina, or any sort of _**het **_pairing. This is a yaoi and yuri free zone, at least this story is -grin- If you don't want a pairing, vote for that too. Anyway, see you next time. Previosly, I said that it would be a dinner, but that will come later. I wrote the chapter before I could remember what I said it would be about. I am very sorry. Hope to have the next chapter up soon. _


	4. Into the Sands

I live, and am alive. It took forever to get the motivation for this chapter. I know I said it would be about a Hyuuga/Uchiha dinner, but I had to dismiss that idea for now. It will come later, I promise. For you who have come back to read this story, I offer this haiku, it isn't that well written, and I think the syllable count is off, but, it expresses my guilt.

Will you forgive me

There is no excuse for this

So much time to wait

Here it is, the next chapter. Enjoy please. For anyone who cares, I don not own Naruto or otherwise this fic wouldn't exist.

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**THE FOURTH'S FAMILY**

**TO SUNA**

Sand, as far as the eye could see. It stretched off into infinity, creating a sense of solitude that gave one peace as they traveled. With this peace, came the heat of the dessert in all it merciless glory. It beat down upon those crossing the dessert, sending many of them into insanity as they chased a mirage that they would only follow into oblivion.

The Yondaime sighed, his mind was morbid, well, not exactly. He was just bored. Naruto had fallen asleep about an hour ago, his small body strapped to Arashi so that the hokage had free use of his arms. While it was quieter, though, having his blonde son asleep took all the fun out of the whole trip. There was no one to argue with over what flavor of ramen was best or play seemingly endless games of I Spy.

The only thing to entertain him were the sand dunes. How exciting! There was a large one, just to his right, followed by a smaller one just behind that. Oh, and heaven forbid he forget the sand dune to his left! It looked exactly like that other two. It was just simply amazing!

It was with relief that he saw Kakashi materialize out of thin air. His student matched his pace, keeping step with him. "You know, I must be getting delirious, 'cause right now, I'm even happy to see you," anything to start a conversation and get him out of his own mind. In his sleep, Naruto punched Arashi in the shoulder with his small, five year old fist. "Ow!"

Behind his mask, Kakashi smirked, nothing was said. He just stared at the hokage, blue eyes meeting his mismatched ones. The meaning was clear _what an idiot._ "We better stop and set up camp for tonight, it'll be getting dark soon."

Still steaming over Kakashi's low opinion of him, the Yondaime grumbled his consent. "Gather up the others, and we'll stop for the night." It was standard procedure for the hokage to travel with a four man squad when on diplomatic missions to foreign countries. Only the best were chosen to go on diplomatic missions, since they often did not return. "Hurry up."

Even before the word had left his mouth, Kakashi was gone, to gather up his subordinates. Once again, Arashi was left with his wonderful friends, the sand dunes. Endlessly, all the way to Suna. Or until his "guards" returned.

All four of them came on him silently, the only clue he had were their chakra signatures, which he had taken note of and memorized in the past two days he had been traveling with them. The first of them, of course was Kakashi, the Yondaime always had him as a first choice. The other three he wasn't too well acquainted with, but he remembered them from things he had heard. The second was a young man with rather _distracting_ eyebrows, Maito Gai, self proclaimed, Kakashi's eternal rival, whatever that meant. Another young man named Sarutobi Asuma who seemed to always be taking a drag on his cigarette. Then there was the only woman of the group, Yuuhi Kurenai, who had strange, crimson eyes. The third hokage had recommended all three of them, for both their talent as well as their loyalty to the village.

"How much longer, hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked him, not even taking the moment to stop her continuous scan of the area.

"Here is good," he said, stopping suddenly on the tallest sand dune he had seen all day. All four ninja were several feet ahead before they could slow down enough to stop safely. Four sets of eyes stared at him, slightly annoyed.

Then, a loud voice, "This must be the tallest sand dune I have seen all day! Ah, what an excellent spot, it will provide a wonderful place for us to be able to watch for enemies!" Gai unceremoniously dropped his backpack to the ground.

Under his breath, Asuma whispered to Kurenai, "How can he tell?" the young woman just shrugged her shoulders, at a loss for words.

The Yondaime enlisted Kakashi's help in unstrapping Naruto from his back. They performed in silence, desperately trying not to wake the sleeping child. They had brought him along since it had been considered a good idea by the Kazekage who had two children of his own. It would also be helpful to the little blonde to start learning the cultures and ways of other countries.

"Are you sure it was okay to bring him along?" Kakashi asked his sensei in an undertone as his teammates began setting up camp and cooking dinner. Tonight it was watery stew from a package, prepared especially by Kurenai.

Arashi was careful not to meet Kakashi's eyes as he answered, "It was almost necessary," a slight pause before he went on, "you have heard the rumors, right?" he finished tucking his son under the blankets.

"The rumor about the Shukaku?" Kakashi stared out over the desert, glazed. "I thought that was already proved false."

Silence reigned between them, broken only by Gai's loud, energetic shouts as he performed his daily training routine. Finally, he answered Kakashi's question, "Nothing has been proven…yet. If it is true, then something must have gone wrong ."

Tanned fingers brushed his son's golden hair, and he leaned down to kiss Naruto on the cheek, "Why do you say that?" Kakashi asked, even though he already knew the answer.

The Yondaime met his eyes, those blue orbs were narrowed with the gravity of the whole situation "If you had an 'ultimate weapon', would you hide it?"

"Hey what are you two whispering?" Kurenai called to them as she finished spooning out rations to everyone. Gai graciously took his bowl from her with a polite thank you. Asuma just stared at his bowl with vacant eyes, cigarette dangling limply from his mouth.

"Nothing, really," the Yondaime flashed one of his killer grins. "What's to eat?"

* * *

The Kazekage stared each of his children in the eyes, making sure they understood what was going to happen once the Yondaime hokage reached Suna. Kankurou and Temari nodded instantly, meeting his eyes with only the slightest hesitance. Gaara, on the other hand, looked puzzled, and stared up blankly at his father through black rimmed eyes.

Just looking at the child made a flash of hate run through the Kazekage's veins, _abomination_, he sneered in his head. He glared down at his youngest son with disdain, "Do you understand?" his voice ever so slightly raised. Kankurou and Temari threw pleading looks at their brother to not cause any trouble.

In silence, Gaara nodded, hugging his worn teddy bear to his small chest. Both of his siblings breathed a sigh of relief. Even the Kazekage nodded his approval, "Good," he paused once again to meet each pair of eyes, making it clear that he was not playing around, "you may go."

Just like that, he turned around as if they had never been there, and began to shuffle papers on his desk. Temari grabbed Kankurou's hand, and they made their way out of their father's office, Gaara following only a few feet behind them. They door closed behind them with a loud boom that echoed ominously though the empty halls.

Beyond the door stood a young man with golden hair. He had been waiting patiently outside the Kazekage's office as his brother-in-law had lectured his children. The man noted Temari and Kankurou's white knuckled hands and Gaara's unusually tight grip on the stuffed bear Dodongo. The Kazekage must have really let them have it this time.

"Yashamaru?" Gaara's small voice spoke to him, scared and confused, "why does our dad hate us?" All three children stood with round eyes, waiting for their uncle to respond. Silence descended on the already somber group as Yashamaru struggled to form an answer.

Kankurou saved the poor man by saying, "Stop asking stupid questions," he still held on to Temari's hand, his dark eyes didn't quite meet his brother's.

"Now, now," Yashamaru told him in his best "parent" voice, "you have to stop fighting, and do what your dad told you to, right? You don't want to cause any trouble for him." He took Temari's free hand, and motioned for Gaara to follow him, "C'mon, let's go put you three to sleep, you're going to have to be up early tomorrow."

He said this only for the benefit of Temari and Kankurou. Yashamaru knew that Gaara would be up, watching him, asking questions that he had no answer to. Trying not to let his stress show, Yashamaru mentally prepared for the long night ahead of him.

**Author's Note:** _It took me long enough to write this, but it's really short. There seems to be nothing in common with the last chapter, but….it does link…Thank you all who reviewed and the person who sent me the message a few months ago….Thank you all for reading, _


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